AMA Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Class of 2013 Announced

Voting for the 2013 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2013 has been completed and this year’s class is comprised of six individuals who will now be immortalized in the Hall: Ricky Carmichael, Danny Hamel, Norm McDonald, Randy Renfrow and Mike and Dianne Traynor.

The Class of 2013 was selected by a voting procedure that included ballots cast by living Hall of Fame members, members of the AMA and AMHF boards of directors, and members of, and advisers to, the Hall of Fame category committees. The current total number of eligible voters is more than 250.

“The Greatest of All Time, an AMA and Baja racing standout, a well-known industry business veteran, a multi-talented AMA roadracer and a visionary couple of motorcyclists who started the Ride for Kids program and raised millions of dollars from fellow riders — I can’t think of a more wide-ranging and well-deserving class of inductees,” said Jeffrey V. Heininger, chairman of the AMHF, which oversees the Hall of Fame.

“Each member of the Class of 2013 has made a lasting impact on the world of motorcycling, rising to the highest levels in their endeavors, whether in competition, business or helping others less fortunate,” Heininger said. “It’s an honor to welcome them to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame family, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at this year’s induction ceremony, Oct. 18-19, in Las Vegas.”

The class of 2013 will be officially inducted on Friday, Oct. 18, during the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends Weekend in a star-studded gala at Las Vegas’ Green Valley Resort & Casino, with tickets available to the general public. Also featured at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are two Hall of Fame Legends — existing members of the Hall of Fame whose lifetime accomplishments are highlighted.

The 2013 Legends are: Mark Blackwell, a pioneering racer in American motocross, a six-time AMA championship race team manager and a well-respected executive in the motorcycle industry; and Torsten Hallman, a four-time World Motocross champion who was instrumental in introducing the sport of motocross to America and founded the Thor brand.

Here again is the 2013 HOF class:

Ricky Carmichael has more combined AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross National wins than any other rider in history. From 1997 to 2006, Carmichael won a championship series title each year. In 2002, he recorded the first perfect season in AMA motocross history by earning 24 straight moto victories for 12 overall wins in the premier class — a feat he repeated in 2004.

Danny Hamel accomplished much as an off-road racer: five-time AMA Hare and Hound national champion, Baja 1000 and 500 overall winner and more. Between 1977 and 1995, Hamel was the only rider ever named both as the AMA Amateur Athlete of the Year and AMA Amateur Sportsman of the Year in the same year. He died in June 1995 while racing the Baja 500 when a car strayed onto the road that was part of the course and Hamel collided with it.

Norm McDonald has been an ambassador for motorcycling his entire life as a racer, promoter, teacher, sponsor and advocate for motorcyclists’ rights and safety. In 1957 he opened K&N Motorcycles — a motorcycle shop — with Ken Johnson. By 1965, they created K&N Engineering and in 1966 the K&N Air Filter was introduced. Over the years McDonald sponsored hundreds of racers, with more than 30 of them going on to the national level.

Randy Renfrow began his pro roadracing career in 1981. He won the AMA 250 Grand Prix championship in 1983, the AMA Formula One title in 1986 and the AMA Pro Twins Series championship in 1989. He was known for his ability to be competitive on any type of machinery, from diminutive 250 Grand Prix bikes all the way up to AMA Superbikes, and he excelled in nearly every class of professional motorcycle roadracing. In all, he won 17 AMA Nationals in four different classes. Renfrow died in 2002 in a non-racing accident.

Mike and Dianne Traynor co-founded the Ride for Kids motorcycle charity program and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. They began the Ride for Kids in 1984 to raise funds for childhood brain tumor research. With tens of millions of dollars raised since 1984, motorcyclists have helped the PBTF become the world’s largest non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor research. Mike Traynor died in 2009 and Dianne Traynor died in 2012.

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